Starcrossed
by CrystalAndKieran
Summary: Starcrossed: a word pertaining to two people that weren't supposed to fall in love, but did anyway. When a dare between competitive Prince Josh and laidback Princess Frankie goes too far, it becomes a journey of love and self discovery they'll never forget. Meanwhile, James, Phil, Aurora, and Nela play an ever-addicting game back at the castle...(3rd story in The Deandra Legacy).
1. Prologue

**Hey guys! It's Crystal and Kieran. We made a combined account for all our stories that we write together! :) This is our next collab: The third story in the Deandra Legacy Saga. There was Midnight, there was Dawn, and now there's Starcrossed!  
This tells the story of Phil/Nela and James/Aurora's children, Josh and Frankie. And your original faves, Nela, Phil, Aurora, and James, did not go anywhere! They will still be starring in the story, full-fledged. **

**We hope you guys enjoy, and fall in love with Josh and Frankie, and the rest of our crew. **

***takes a bow***

**Btw, this is just a prologue to the actual story. **

**Enjoy the story, you guys. **

**3+ reviews for an update. **

* * *

"_And the princess did indeed grow in grace and beauty…"_

Frankie watched him walk down the hallway like he owned it.

Just at the end of the hall, at the great big doors of the entrance, he turned, met her eyes, and smirked.

Then vanished.

Frankie looked down at the book she was reading, _Cinderella_. She wished the characters would come to life. She was really lonely sometimes. Sure, Frankie had friends. She was the sweetest girl in Deandra, almost anyone would agree. But they weren't _close _friends. The daughters of the maids and the stablemen and the dusters wouldn't be her best friend: they had their judgments and opinions that she was stuck up, though Frankie was as far from stuck up as it would go.

She had friends, but they weren't the kind of friends you could share deep, dark intimate secrets with.

Frankie yearned for a friend she could tell all her secrets to. Someone who wouldn't judge her, someone who loved her.

She returned to Deandra Palace's giant library and returned the book, then turned politely to the librarian.

"Mistress Marianne, the book was simply wonderful," she said with her trademark smile.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, Princess Francesca," said Mistress Marianne, with an equally kind smile. "Would you like to borrow _Rapunzel _next?"  
"Oh, but I've read that a million times." Frankie gazed at the shelves. "Any new ones in?"

"Let me check, dear." Mistress Marianne turned to her shelves. "By the way, how are your parents?"  
Frankie's parents were the second-in-rule to King Phillip and Queen Nela: Princess Aurora and Prince James.

There could not be two sets of rulers of one kingdom, so Aurora and James had been given title of Prince and Princess, but there was no doubt that all four of them co-owned the kingdom together.

"My parents are fine." Frankie smiled.  
"Your father's garden is really thriving well, I noticed," Mistress Marianne said, her back turned.

Frankie smiled. Her father's unhealthy obsession with plants was cute, and "highly and hilariously attractive," in the words of her mother. "Oh, yes. He loves his garden."  
"And Princess Aurora is doing wonderfully communicating with the traders from Stallione, am I right? Her language skills are flawless."  
Frankie dipped a nod. "Yes."  
"Well, here's a new book," said Mistress Marianne. "I'm not sure you'd like it, though. It's not as…fairytale-ish as the classics you read, dear."  
"Oh, I don't mind, really!" Frankie smiled.

"It's called _Light and Shadow_, dear. It's about the son of the god of light and the daughter of the goddess of darkness falling in love in secret. It's sort of like Romeo and Juliet. Opposites attract, that sort of thing."  
"Oh, sounds nice!" Frankie smiled.

"It's poetry, dear." Mistress Marianne handed her the big volume. "I hope you don't mind reading some poetry, it's quite different from your fairytale classics."  
"It's alright." Frankie smiled. "I'll return it as soon as I'm finished! Thanks so much, Mistress Marianne."  
"Anytime, child!" Mistress Marianne smiled. "Now off with you. I have things to tend to."  
Frankie dipped into a curtsy and hurried outside.

Suddenly, something bounced off the back of her head.

Frankie turned, clutching her book to her chest.

"Hey Princess Lonely! Where are your little librarian friends today?"  
Frankie turned bright red as she spotted her bully, the earl's son. A strong, muscly boy named Tonner was hurling pebbles at her. And he was not alone.

"It's the princess who has no friends." Jared, another one of Tonner's friends, leaning against a tree and smirking.

"Leave me alone." Frankie headed for the gardens.

Someone blocked her path.

Someone tall.

Someone muscly.

Someone that smelled distinctly of apples and honeydew.

Frankie slowly let her eyes travel up to meet a chiseled jawline, piercing blue eyes, and pink lips stretched into a lazy smirk.

Josh.

More specifically, _Prince _Josh, son of King Phillip and Queen Nela.

Josh grinned and stepped forward threateningly.

Frankie stumbled backwards.

"She's scared!" Tonner howled with laughter, joined in my Jared.

Josh didn't laugh. He just smirked. "Scared, Princess?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.

Frankie's lower lip trembled; she bit it. "No."

"No?"  
Frankie took another hesitant step back. "_No_."  
"Lemme see that book." Josh snatched it out of her grasp.

"N-no!" Frankie reached for it. "It doesn't belong to me!"  
"That should make it more fun when you return it in pieces, won't it?" Josh laughed now. He flipped through, and then turned to Tonner and Jared. "_Poetry_."  
Furious tears spilled through Frankie's eyes, and she turned to stomp away.

"Gonna run to Mommy and Daddy? Your geyser librarian friends?" Josh demanded.

Frankie whirled around. "Leave me alone! I'm not a snitch, now go!"  
"You _are_ Miss Priss though." Josh laughed his mocking laugh again. "I bet you wouldn't do _one _thing that would ruin your perfect reputation, would you, Princess?"  
Frankie whirled around. "Give me back my book."  
"Okay." Josh held it just out of her reach. "Will you accept a dare?"  
Frankie blinked. "A-a dare?"  
Josh leaned forward. "Prove you're not so perfect. Tomorrow night, I dare you to leave the palace grounds and go down to Dark River. In the Enchanted Forest." He grinned. "And then…you'll get your poetry book back."  
Frankie's eyes flashed. "What makes you think I trust you?"

Josh pressed his hand to his heart and smiled. "Prince's honor. If not, you have permission to tell Dad and he'll smack me and give me a speech about being a gentleman and blah blah blah." Josh grinned.

"She's too chicken, Josh, leave her!" Tonner yelled.

"Are you?" Josh asked. "Let her decide."  
Frankie bit her lip.  
"Josh, dude, she isn't gonna do it!" Jared called.

Tonner made a distinct chicken noise. _"Bawk bawk_! Frankie The Lonely Chicken Princess!"  
Josh doubled over, unable to contain his laughter, and Frankie knew she was openly crying.

"Do the dare, get the book. Win win!" Josh waved the book tauntingly. "You earn my respect, you get the book."  
Earning Josh's respect.

For some reason, that won Frankie over.

She narrowed her eyes. "Tomorrow night."  
"Yep."  
"I do this dare, I get my book back."  
"Yep."  
"In perfect condition."  
He considered. "Yeah. Okay."  
"And you'll respect me?"  
"Definitely."  
"Okay."  
Josh grinned. "Really, Frankie?"  
Her eyes flashed. "I can be bad."  
He snorted. "If you say so, Miss Priss." He put out his hand for her to shake. "Deal?"  
Frankie took Josh's hand, and shook. Her honor depended on this.

"_Deal_."

**Oooh snap. **

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**Enjoy your week, beautifuls. ****Crystal and Kieran. **


	2. Decorations

**Hey guys! Enjoy this chapter, thanks for 5 reviews and 31 views already, omg!  
We love you guys!  
Read the Deandra Oneshots as well, Angels and Rain. **

**Review, lovelies!  
****Enjoy the chapter!  
**

* * *

"_Now remember. No nagging, bragging, sweating, fretting, _

_slipping, tripping, slurping, burping, twittering or frittering allowed. _

_Stay present, stay pleasant, stay proud." _

_-How To Be A Princess _

* * *

_FRANKIE  
_

I sat in my room, without my book.

_Stupid Josh_, I thought angrily, kicking my feet against my bed.

There was a knock on my door. "Who is it?" I called, flopping down against my bedsheets.  
"It's your daddy-o!" came the reply.

"Come in." I hugged a pillow to my chest.

"Hey, Frankie, check this out!" My dad hurried towards my bed and thrust a plant to me. "Doesn't this remind you of Jilly?"  
Of course. My dad kept a picture of this plant named Jilly in his wallet at all times. Said Jilly had saved Mom's life. I had no clue about Jilly and the past she had with my father, but I shrugged. "Yeah, Daddy."  
My father placed the plant gently on my table. "I want you to keep her. I named her Victoria, after your…er, middle name."  
"Daddy," I leaned against my pillows. "Tell me again how I got my long name."  
My father, Prince James, smiled. "Well, honey. When you were born, your mother asked everybody to suggest a name for you. She was going to pick the best. Your mother, of course, wanted Francesca ever since she learned she was pregnant. She thought it would suit you beautifully. Then I," my father puffed out his chest. "Of course _I_ chose the best name. Better than your uncle Phillip's, anyway. I jumped onto a table, and valiantly shouted, 'Vivica!' Then, Aunt Nela suggested Victoria, which was a beautiful name as well. And then Phillip walked in, dampening the mood, making the very _sun VANISH _out of the _sky_—"

"Daddy."  
"Sorry." My father blushed. "His name sucked. He suggested the name Marie, which was bland and plain and totally the opposite of what I said—"

"I like _all_ the names," I said brightly.

My father looked at me tenderly and pushed my hair back out of my eyes. "Of course you do. You're just like your mother in that aspect, sweet and kind and beautiful, of course. I can't believe you're sixteen years old already, darling."  
I grinned. "Grew up fast, did I?"  
"Very." My father stood up. "Well, Phillip has challenged me to a duel so I must go kill him now. Then arrange for the victory party afterwards. I'll see you later."  
"Okay, Daddy." I got up. "I was thinking about something. Who came up with the nickname Frankie?"  
"Huh?" My dad turned around. "Oh." He scratched his head. "I believe it was…oh, yes, right. I believe it was Josh."  
I blinked rapidly. "_Really_? _Josh_?"  
"Yeah, I believe so. Yes, it was definitely him. He lacked in teeth and the proper usage of words back then, so he said something along the lines of _Fwankie_, and we all loved that idea."  
"Oh."  
"Do you guys hang out?" Daddy asked, pausing in the doorway.

"Hang out." I mulled over it. "He's quite boring, actually, Daddy."  
He chuckled evilly. "Like father, like son."  
I rolled my eyes. "Daddy."  
"He got the boring gene from his father, and the sparkling eyes from Nela."  
With that I had to agree. Aunt Nela and Josh shared the same beautiful twinkling eyes, except Josh's were a piercing blue: Phillip's.

"You know, Josh was quite a little rodent." My father rolled his eyes. "We went on a journey, while your mother was pregnant. Me, Phil, and Nela. And Josh, of course. In that small frame of time, we got plundered by bandits in the forest, got attacked by a bear, and became skilled carriage thieves."  
I laughed. "Really?"  
My father nodded. "Yes. And I saved everyone from everything." He flexed his muscles. "Phil did nothing. What he _did _do was get rolled down a cliff by a bear. And Josh awakened that bear from its hibernation, and put us all into peril."  
I giggled. "Oh no."  
"He dislocated his shoulder. Phil, not the bear. When it's all quiet, I still remember the _popping _sound of Phil's shoulder. Music to my ears."

I covered my ears. "Eeew, Daddy. Enough."  
My father laughed. "Well, alright then. I'll see you later." He waved, and then vanished, running down the hallway screaming, "PHIL! TODAY YOU WILL EAT MY DUST AND I WILL BASK IN THE GLORY OF MY SWEET VICTORY. BASK, I TELL YOU, BASK!"  
I laughed. They were fathers, but some things never changed.

* * *

_JOSH_

"_Why_ did you do that?" demanded Tonner. "She's Francesca the Lonely Chicken Princess. She would never do that."  
"You know," I said, almost musingly. "I have to give her credit. I really think she's going to do it."  
"She's cowardly."  
"No." I turned to Tonner. "She's kind of brave. Well, she can be. You know what's really weird?"  
"What?" Jared swung on a tree branch.

"Once, I saw her helping the nursemaids stitch up this wounded kid who's mom brought him in from town."  
"Seriously?" Tonner leaned against Jared's tree and tried to knock him off.

I shrugged. "It wasn't cool or anything, but there was all this freaking blood all over the place and she wasn't afraid of it."  
"Would you be afraid of a wee bit of blood?" Tonner demanded. "You're Josh! Prince Joshua! You're not scared of anything."  
_Yeah I was_. I chuckled. "You're right, I'm really not." _Honestly, I had been really impressed that day by the bold way Frankie dealt with it_.

"She's pretty, though," said Jared wistfully. "Isn't she?"  
Tonner shrugged and spat into the grass.  
"Stop that," Josh said, almost faintly.

"You sound like your dad sometimes," said Tonner. "He says that all the time to Prince James."  
"Oh." I ran my hands through my hair.  
"But Frankie," Jared reminded them again. "I wouldn't mind taking some of that."  
"Hey." I turned and cut my piercing blue gaze to Jared. "Don't talk like that. She's a princess, and do yourself a favor and remind your brain that she's above you, even though you think it's fun to make fun of her."  
Jared blinked.

"Man, what's with you?" Tonner was staring. "It's like you're a totally different person."

I looked away. "No. Nothing. I have to go. My mom's calling me." I jogged in the direction of the castle.

Tonner and Jared glanced at each other, and Tonner narrowed his eyes.

"Josh! But I didn't hear anything!"

* * *

I knocked on Frankie's door.

It opened as soon as I knocked.

She looked surprised. "Prince Joshua."  
"Princess Francesca Vivica whatever else the rest of your name is." I smirked.

"Haha." Frankie leaned against her doorframe. "How original, mock the long name."  
I grinned. "It's not my fault my name is just one syllable."  
"Three."  
I blinked. "What?"  
"_Three_ syllables. Josh-u-a."

I turned red. "Oh."  
Frankie rolled her eyes. "Can you give me back my book? I'm bored."  
"Maybe you should plan for heading to Dark River." I walked into Frankie's room. "Wow. Your room is dull."  
Frankie sighed sharply. "This is how I want it, Josh."  
"But no flowers? No—no decorations? No girly princess things? Not even those fairytale canopy things?"  
"How would you know what's in a girl's bedroom anyway, Josh?" Frankie flopped on her bed.

I grinned.

Frankie held up a hand. "I don't want to know, Joshua."  
Josh shrugged and leaned against the banister. "But the dullness of this place bothers me."  
"The dullness of your _personality_ bothers me."  
Josh barked out what could barely pass as a laugh. "Great insult, Princess."  
Frankie smacked her bedsheets. "Josh, why are you even here?"  
"I wanted to make sure you were still on board with the dare idea."  
"I wouldn't dream of backing out." Frankie pointed at the door. "Now go."  
Josh grinned. "And promise you'll do something about this room? It's so boring."  
Frankie buried her face into her hands and moaned something about boys being annoying.

Josh smirked. "I take that as a personal compliment."  
Frankie pointed at the door. "_Out_!"  
"Okay, I'm going!"

"_Now_, Joshua!"  
Frankie had her no-nonsense voice. I backed out of the door. "Toodles."  
"_Shut up_."  
I shut the door and headed for the gardens.

* * *

_FRANKIE_

Josh knocked again before dinner.

I opened it. "Joshua," I began tiredly. "Please just leave me alone."  
He held something out.  
"What…are these?"  
Josh rolled his eyes. "Trees."  
"Are these flowers…for me?" I raised my eyebrows.  
"They're for your room." Josh threw his arms out. "You can't tell anyone I was nice. Got it?"  
I just stared, blinking, as I looked down at the collection of bright colorful flowers from the palace gardens Josh handed to me.

"You can't tell." His voice hardened. "As far as anyone knows, we hate each other. Understood, Princess? This is just because I care about the welfare…of your room."  
I nodded mutely.  
He turned. "G'nite."  
"Josh?"  
He didn't turn around, but he stopped.

"…thank you."  
He kept walking down the stairs, but he turned slowly, his jawline illuminated by the flickering lamp light, and he gave me a tiny one-sided smile.

"You're welcome."

* * *

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	3. War Threats

**Hello loves! Chapter 2 is up! And, beforehand, I'd like to add a disclaimer: Sleeping Beauty will never, ever be ours! Enjoy!**

* * *

_NELA_

I poked Phil in the shoulder. "Phil," I hissed. "Phillip!" Phil turned around, looking extremely annoyed. "Nela, I'm in the middle of a meeting!"

I snorted. "Yeah, right. Some meeting."

The meeting consisted of about two people: Phil, obviously, and James.

It was a meeting on the color of the flowers that should decorate one of Frankie's new dresses, and by the looks of it, it was getting really intense.

Some people say that James and Aurora should choose the color, since they're her parents. But the fact is that it's not true. Phil and I act just as bit like her parents as her birth parents do, and the same for Josh.

I peered over his shoulder. "And I like the dawn colors. Frankie looks good in pink." Phil frowned down at me. "You mean, _blue_?" James smirked at him. "She meant pink," he clarified.

"Frankie looks nice in midnight, I think." Aurora's dreamy voice floated down from the other end of the hallway. She was wearing a smile and a bright green dress, and she was tightly clutching a brown envelope. James looked horrified. "But _Aurora_," he whined. "You're supposed to take _my_ side."

Aurora laughed lightly. "Frankie looks lovely in all the colors of the rainbow."

"Just better in pink," I whispered to Phil when she turned away. He glared at me.

Aurora waved us all over to a private living room in the office. I plopped down on the armchair next to her's, which meant that Phil and James had to share a sofa.

Aurora cleanly unsealed the envelope and delicately pulled out the letter. "'To the Kings and Queens of Deandra,'" she read. "Um, excuse me, but there is only _one_ king. Last time I checked." Phil interrupted rudely, when James tried to squish his way into Phil to make more room for himself. "Yeah, and that's me." James grunted, elbowing Phil in the face.

"OW!"

"Would you _shut up_?" I said through gritted teeth. "Thank you." James snatched Phil's crown and put it top of his own.

"'I, King Lance the First, hereby offer you a simple request. My beloved son Edmund has fallen deeply and irrevocably in love with your princess. Princess Francesca Victoria Vivica Marie, as I recall. It happened upon the tour of your kingdom on the Festival of Rebirth, dedicated to your Queen, correct? I remember—'"

"Why is he asking so many questions?" Phil interrupted again. Both he and James were very red in the face ever since 'Frankie' and 'love' were mentioned in the same sentence.

Aurora gave him a look. "May I finish, Phillip?"

Phil looked slightly ashamed. He managed a tiny nod.

"'I remember the day he told me: 'Father, I am in love with Princess Francesca.' And I knew, my fellow Royals, I knew that this was a match made in heaven.'

'And so, I have arranged a contract for a marriage between these two loving people, a unity created by God Himself, and if you also agree with heaven's will, then sign below upon this line, and their marriage may be conducted in a week or so. Signed, King Lance the King of Floyd.'"

There was a deep silence.

"What the _hell_." James said slowly, shaking his head. "What the actual _hell_."

I laughed. "Well, we can send him back a reply."

Aurora merrily brought a piece of parchment and proudly printed "NO" in bold inky black perfect handwriting. We all signed our names, and James drew a rude gesture in the paper. He then drew a horribly ugly giraffe with a beard and wrote, "That's you." with a helpful arrow. Aurora folded up the paper and placed it in a white envelope and stamped our dragon Deandra seal on top.

"There," she said, beaming.

Within seconds, there was a brown envelope from the King of Floyd, answering us back much quicker than we thought.

Aurora cut it open again and daintily began to read.

"'Royalty of Deandra, I, King of Floyd, will not accept your decision. I will neither accept the rude gesture nor the drawing of me as a giraffe. I am a man with dignity, unlike you. I am also a man of tremendous courage and action, and believe me when I say that—'" Aurora sucked in a breath and her eyes widened as they skimmed over the paper. "Oh dear," she said finally. "Oh, my."

"What?" I asked curiously. "What did he say?"

Aurora re-grasped the paper with trembling fingers. "—a-and believe me when I say that if my son does not marry your daughter, I will kill you. I will bring every one of my troops and wreck havoc upon your kingdom. When every man, woman, and child in your kingdom is dead, you may then realize that it may have been better to create rather than destroy. I will say it again, and then no more. If your Princess Francesca will not marry my Prince Edmund, I will declare war upon Deandra. Signed, King Lance, King of Floyd.'" Aurora finished with a shaky voice. There was a silence.

There was a thud behind me, and I whirled around.

It was Frankie.

It was Frankie, and she had heard the entire letter.

She bent down on her knees to retrieve the book she had dropped. "I'm so sorry," she stammered. "I didn't mean to bother you—"

James was the first to speak. "We won't do it." he said stoutly, crossing his arms and leaning back. "There's no need to worry, Frankie darling, because we won't do it." There was another silence. He looked worriedly at Phil. "Right?"

Phil was holding the parchment in his fist, clenching and unclenching. "Floyd is a powerful kingdom," he said finally. "But if we can save Frankie by dying for the cause, then we will." James broke out into a smile and threw his arms around his best friend. "Okay, okay," Phil said pleasantly. "Touch time is over." He took a swig of wine from a glass on the table as a tiny celebration.

"No."

Frankie was loosely holding the book in her arms. She was staring at her father and her mother. "No. I will go to Floyd and marry the prince."

Phil spat out all of the wine all over James, who screamed, "_What?_"

Frankie was looking at him stubbornly. "I refuse to allow all these deaths just because of me. There is no harm in marrying Prince Edmund. I thought he was kind."

"B-but," James sputtered. "You're seventeen! I said you can't even date until you're thirty three!"

Frankie frowned at her father. "Daddy, I need to be married by thirty-three."

Aurora cut in before James could make any more of a mess. "Sweetheart, it's not because of your age or anything." she said soothingly. "It's because of the danger. If King Lance is threatening war just because he didn't get what he wanted, then there's obviously some problems over in Floyd. The prince may have acted nice, but Frankie, you don't _love_ him."

Frankie folded her arms, and I was struck by her sudden stubbornness. It was out-of-character, and it was a refreshing change. "Either you will allow me to go, or I will be gone by myself tomorrow morning. It's your choice."

"_Frankie_—"

"Stop." I said. "Stop. If Frankie is going to go, let her go. There's nothing we can do to stop her."

Frankie looked at me gratefully. "Aunt Nela is right. It's not fair to the kingdom."

James buried his face in his hands. "Fine." he choked out. "Fine. Frankie, go to your room and start packing." Frankie looked slightly hurt by the curt dismissal, but she left just the same.

"She needs an escort." Phil said, his voice sounding raw. "She can't go alone."

"A guard?" I suggested. "Or two or three. She needs all the help she can get."

"I say I go with her." James said finally, looking up from his hands.

"No." Aurora said. "We have to send Josh."

My eyes widened. "_Josh?_ Joshua? My _son_?"

"How many other Josh's do you know?" Phil asked, but he too looked shocked.

Aurora shook her head. "Josh is the only one who can save her now. I know it. I can feel it."

"You're insane." I told her bluntly. "They'll kill each other."

Aurora shook her head again. "It must be Josh."

Phil looked furious. "Aurora, Frankie is already on an emotional roller coaster ride. We don't have to send Josh to make it worse!"

Aurora gave him a small smile. "Phil, trust me on this. It has to be Josh."

Phil glared at her for a while longer, and then his glare melted, and he sighed. "Sure. Whatever you say, Aurora."

James picked up Phil's glass of wine and took a sip, much to the outrage of it's original drinker. "Can I just say that this is the craziest decision we've ever made?"

I rolled my eyes and leaned back. "What, letting Josh escort Frankie or letting you loose in the kitchen?"

James pondered that. "Now that you mention it, it might be the second one."

* * *

**Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh! Frankie is in _trouble!_ And can I just say that without Josh, this chapter is crap?**

**Though James does make up for it:)**


	4. Dark River

**Hello lovelies! Thanks for the new reviews, here's another update! Hopefully you'll like!**

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* * *

_JOSH_

I walked through the palace, after having finished horseriding lessons with the riding mistress. She had been pretty pissed when I rode my dad's horse, Samson, through a giant puddle of mud and gotten it all over her red dress.

Well too bad for her, horseback riding was about being wild and free and dirty. My riding mistress was conservative, uptight, and extremely clean. She was just as prissy as Frankie.

"Josh!" Mom appeared in the doorway.  
"What?" I ran my hands through my messy hair.

"Oh, son, you're a mess." My dad narrowed his eyebrows at me.

"Let's not start this train of judgment," I said sarcastically. "Spare me, Dad."  
My dad took a step forward. "Go change into a—"

"Phil, please." My mom grabbed my arm. "Josh. We need a favor. A little favor."  
"Actually, it's a huge favor." James appeared behind my mom and waved at me. "Hi, Joshua."

"Hi, James." I waved back. He was pretty laidback and chill. Though he could be kind of psychotic sometimes, James was cool. "What's the favor?"  
"Frankie is going to get married!" My dad gave me a huge smile.

My smile faded. "What?!"  
James pretended to play an air trumpet. "My little girl is getting married."  
"Guys. Guys, wait." I held up a hand. "Frankie. Is _sixteen_. In case you all forgot."  
James looked seriously at me. "She's sixteen, yes. But the kingdom of Floyd declared war on us until Edmund—the prince there—got Frankie."  
"Apparently," Aurora said, appearing in the doorway, fanning herself with a silk fan from Asia. "Prince Edmund has this…unsophisticated _attraction_ towards my Frankie. But she can't help being adored." Aurora fanned vigorously. "Good looks run in the family."  
"Thank you, dear!" James gave Aurora a grin and flexed.  
"James," Dad pointed out dryly. "She meant _herself_."  
"Oh." James cleared his throat. "Right."

"So why do you need me? Want me to convince Frankie that she should get married?" I made a face.  
"Heavens, no!" Aurora shook her head. "Frankie has already set off for Floyd."  
"What?" I raked my hands through my hair. "No, she can't, that's the stupidest thing to do."  
"It's brave," Mom said, smoothing down her gown. "What we're asking, Josh—"

"We're begging," said James.

"_Beseeching_," said my father, not to be outdone by James' fancy wordplay.  
"_Groveling at your knees_." James shot back, smirking at my dad.

"Attendant!" barked Dad. "Find me the book of Large Words!"  
Mom smacked Dad's arm. "Philip, would you _stop_?"

"Beseeching what?" I stuttered, for once speechless.

"That you escort Frankie." My mom gazed at me with her platinum eyes. "Please, Josh."  
I blinked. "You—you can't be serious. I'm taking her to this death trap. It's like giving her an air-conditioned silk-cushioned carriage ride straight to the guillotine."  
"Josh," warned Mom.

"Besides," I snorted. "What makes you think I like spending time with Frankie? And she sucks at riding horses."  
"You will escort her." My father glared at me.

"And pigs will fly." I raised my eyebrows. "And James and you will stop fighting."

"James and I have simple disagreements!" My father boomed.

"Three days ago," I said calmly. "You two were shooting cannons at each other in the courtyard."  
"We were just playing," James said flatly.

I looked at him. "I'm sure you were."

"Josh, dear." My mom put her cold, soft hand on the side of my arm. "Do this, won't you? Frankie is a very nice girl."  
"And she likes you very much. She thinks of you as a good friend!" Aurora beamed at me.

Even _I _couldn't believe that.  
James looked at Aurora, as if to say "don't overdo it."

Dad placed his hand on my shoulder. "Josh. Do this for us. And for all want her to be safe. Besides, the rumors of bandits in the forest are not very reassuring to her parents."  
Aurora gave me a theatrical pout, as if to prove Dad's point.  
"Right," I said finally, rubbing the back of my neck. "Bandits."

"Josh," said Dad.

"Have you talked over this with Frankie?" I raised my eyebrows.

James, Aurora, Dad, and Mom exchanged glances. "Of _course_!" said Dad finally.

I closed my eyes. "Dad."  
"She's _ecstatic _to have you on this journey of self discovery and adventure." James smiled.

I coughed. "Okay. Great. I'll go saddle up a horse and start on this therapeutic journey."  
"Wonderful!" Aurora smiled and clapped, planting a kiss on my cheek, staining it with her dark pink lipstick. Great.

I broke away and started down the hall and turned around, jamming my hands into my pockets. "What if _I_ get killed defending _Frankie _from bandits?"  
Dad smiled and waved. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, Josh!"  
I scowled and headed for the stables to harness a horse.

If anything was going to get killed out there, it was my spirit. And my joy.

* * *

_Frankie_

"Give me _three_ _valid _reasons why I should have _Josh_ accompany me. THREE!" I was beyond pissed, and that took a lot because normally, I was a calm, controlled person.

"Breathe, dear." Mother patted my hand.

Nela sighed. "Frankie, we won't let you go out there alone! The forest is a dangerous place!"

"No, it's not!" I gasped, throwing my arms in the air.

"Bandits," Daddy pointed out.

"We haven't had a bandit attack in _twenty _years!" I shouted.

"Frankie, inside voice." Mother said calmly.

"Frankie." Daddy touched my shoulder. "Josh is _ecstatic_ to have you on this journey of self discovery and adventure—"

"Hey, you used that same speech on Josh!" Philip laughed.

I glared at my father. "I'm going _alone_! I thought I made that clear!"  
"You're not." Mother balls her fists on her slim hips. "You're going with _Josh!_ He _wants_ to protect you! Besides, he _wants_ to go!"  
"Hey, Princess!"

I turned around.

Josh was standing in the doorway, arms crossed, brown bag slung over his shoulder. "Let's get this over with."  
I gaped, openmouthed, at the foursome standing in front of me. I didn't want to be rude in front of Josh and demand that my parents, Nela, and Phillip allow me to go alone, so I turned around, picked up my earlier packed bags, and followed Prince Joshua of Deandra, the sole person I hated in this world, out into the sunshine.

Josh and me had not uttered one single word between the two of us, this whole entire time. The sun was turning the sky a brilliant orange as it set between the Allura Mountains in the distance to the west of Deandra.

Josh was riding Samson, his father's old horse. I was riding Bunny, this cute little beige colored mare that my parents had given me for my fifteenth birthday. I had to admit, Josh was a skilled rider.

He'd be a good person if he tried to make some idle conversation with me. We had known each other about sixteen years now. Our whole lives basically. Could it kill him to ask me how I was doing?  
"We're stopping here." Josh's voice was flat. "Samson and Bunny need water."  
"How long of a travel is this?" I halted Bunny and climbed off carefully.

"About five days." Josh rubbed his neck in that agitated way of his. "Loooong way to go, Princess."  
"Hey. About my dare," I said awkwardly, sitting down on the rock.

"Still up for grabs."  
"When would I do it?" I smoothed down my dress nervously, looking up at Josh. Sweat was already collecting on my palm. I was at the mercy of Josh. He was merciless.

He looked back at me, bored, while gently rubbing Samson's long neck. "Dark River is about a five minute walk down this slope. Reach there, and bring me back the special red stone that me, Tobin and Jared left in the hollow of the willow tree down there. So I know you went."  
"The special red stone?" I let my eyes wander up to the sky. It was darkening quickly.

Josh smirked. "I'll be here. Waiting. Watering the horses. If you're not back in fifteen minutes, I'm riding back to Deandra and telling them you were eaten by a bear and there was nothing I could do about it."  
I swallowed. "B-bear?"  
Josh leaned close to me. "Yeah. Bear. There's _tons_ of them in these forests. Last year, one _attacked _Tobin. He almost _died_."  
"You're l-lying." My teeth were clacking together. I had never seen a bear physically, but I believed the monsters were all over these woods.

"Nope." Josh turned around and began to lead Bunny and Samson towards a tiny lake surrounded by oak trees. "You have fun, Princess."  
"Josh." I took a step after him. "I'm scared."  
He turned, and for a second, I saw a flicker of humanity in his piercing blue eyes, then he gave me a wan smile. "No dare, no book, no respect. But if that's how you want the state of the union, you can sit down and we'll continue on our way in ten minutes."  
I bit my lip and turned around, peering into the dark forest. "How will I find my way back?"  
"Your problem."  
I glared at Josh, and then slowly began making my way down into the forest.

I kept walking, careful to be quiet as not to attract bears or any other monster, like Josh said.

I began to sing in my head as I went. Anything to distract me. I went over To Be A Princess rules.

_To be a princess is to know which spoon to use. _

_To be a princess is to own a thousand pairs of shoes. _

_To maintain a regal gait.._

What was that other one? I delicately stepped over a rock, hiking up my skirt and mentally scanning myself for the next line…oh, yes.

_Leave the parsley on your plate. _

What was the rest of it..? The rest of the rules had temporarily slipped my mind, so I switched to one of my favorite songs and began to sing softly. "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens.."

I bent down by the edge of the Dark River, not even realizing I had made it. I smirked. "Ha, Josh. In your face." I walked to the right, where a giant willow tree loomed. With no difficulty, I spotted the hollow, and breathing sharply, stuck my hand in. My fingers curled aroud something smooth like a stone.

I pulled it out. "Bingo!" It was the red stone Josh had talked about. I slipped it into the inside seam of my pocket, so it wouldn't come out no matter what. Dare complete. Now Josh would have to give me my book back, and he owed me some respect.  
_Growl_. _Rustle_.

I whipped around. "Who's there?"  
No response. Just more growling and rustling in the leaves. I gasped and backed up slowly.

"Brown paper packages," I half-whispered half-cried, attempting to continue the song, "tied up with string…"  
The rustling got louder.  
"Th-these…" I stammered out. "Are a few of my favorite things.."  
A figure jumped out. "Boo!"

I screamed and fell backwards. I rolled down a hill, catching foliage in my mouth, grime rubbing onto my face, my palms scraping sharply onto rocks as I tried desperately to grab ahold of something, _anything_. I dropped straight down, vertically, and felt the cold splash of the Dark River around me.

All I could think about was drowning, and how I never got to say a proper goodbye to my parensts, or the handmaids that I loved, or the rose garden beneath my window. Stupid, but in the face of death, I was really afraid.

I heard a second splash, and I started thinking about death.

"Frankie!" I felt strong hands wrap around my waist.

I looked up into the eyes of my savior. It was Josh. His eyes reminded me of the sky on a summer day. Bright blue flecked with gold, probably from the last light of the sun that was now fading.

"I'm dying," I stated, as the cold hit me. My fingers had begun to turn an underoxygenated ice blue.

"No you're not." Josh yanked me towards shore. "You're not freaking die. Come on, Frankie. Swim a little!"  
"I d-d-on't know how," I stammered, shivering now due to the cold.

"Dammit, Frankie!" Josh pulled harder, wrapping his arms around my waist as my head ducked in and out of perilous dark waves.

I could see pieces of stars appearing from between dark branches of trees above my head.

"Don't be a drama queen, just hold onto me!" Josh was swimming, powerful strokes. Everything was magnified, water rushing into my ears. Josh's hands were smooth, his arm was powerful, his muscles twitched beneath his crisp white shirt as he stroked through the waves.

I closed my eyes.

* * *

_JOSH_

"You have _got _to be kidding me!"  
I stood there raking my fingers through my wet blonde hair. "Frankie!"  
She lay there, flat on her back, almost looking dead. Except for the steady rising and falling of her chest. Her face and hands were blue.

"That can't be good," I said out loud. I knelt down next to her and slowly began to knead my fingers into her hands, trying to warm them up.

All I had done was make a few growling sounds, rustle a few leaves, and scared her while she was trying to do the dare. Nothing more. She didn't have to freak the hell out.

When her fingers were back to skin color and her face was flushed again, I gently rolled her over to pound her back. God save me if there was water in her lungs and somehow the pesky princess died here.

Everyone would form a mob and kill me.

As I rolled her over, the inside seam of her dress slipped against the grass. In it was a bulge.

Now I have absolutely no business poking around inside her dress. But as I removed the bulge, I realized it was the red stone Frankie had to get as part of her dare.  
I felt myself smiling. "Snap out of it, Josh," I thought as I pocketed the stone. "She's nothing to you."  
But I wanted her to wake up so I could give her a hug and tell her she was okay. But in a very non-friendly and non-sissy way.

I secretly really, really hoped Frankie would be alright.

And if not, well, I was here.

**Review, lovelies! :D**


	5. Boredom

**Aaaand it's Chapter 4! By the way, this song is kind of James' theme song. That fact makes me happier than the song does.**

**Disclaimer: We don't own Disney/Sleeping Beauty!**

* * *

_I won't act my age_

_No I_

_Won't act my age_

_No I'll still_

_Feel the same_

_About you_

* * *

_PHILLIP_

I frowned at my friend. He had been staring out the window ever since Josh and Frankie had left. "Hey, James," I said loudly. "James?"

James turned around and he looked furious. "It's KING James, Phillip, you peasant!" I cowered in pretend fear. "OH NO! THE MIGHTY KING JAMES HAS BEEN UNLEASHED!" James grinned and threw a vase at me, to which I ducked.

I stood up, annoyed. I dusted off my pants and said, "That was my _favorite_ vase!" I lied angrily.

James raised an eyebrow and picked up one of the shards. "This one?" It was decorated with roses and naked baby angels. He pointed to one of them. "That's me." he said fondly. I howled and threw my hands over my eyes. "I AM BLINDED!"

James tossed the shard back into the pile of broken vase. "That's why you eat carrots, Phil. Carrots are good for your eyes." he said wisely, throwing himself down onto the sofa. I scowled at him, and threw myself in an armchair across from him.

The entire room was completely trashed. James and I had been having a total "Guy's Night" or whatever the hell Aurora called it, because it was supposed to help us "relax". Unfortunately, James had been staring out the window the entire time, and at five o'clock in the morning, he wrote a poem. Here's a preview of it:

_Roses are red_

_Violets are blue_

_My dear lovely princess daughter_

_Joshua really hates you_.

James' writing prowess really astounds me sometimes.

"Did you know," said James suddenly. "That Josh keeps a diary?"

My eyebrows went up to join my hairline. I leaned forward. "_Really?_"

James shrugged. "No."

I sat back in my place. "Oh."

James looked thoughtfully out the window again propping up his chin with his elbow.

"James," I said after a long while. "What are you thinking about?"

James didn't look at me until after two minutes, and by then I had forgotten what I had asked him. "I'm thinking about if I had a mustache. Would I look more intimidating if I had a mustache?"

"What?" I said stupidly.

Just then, the door opened, revealing my insanely gorgeous wife and James' insanely gorgeous wife. What an insanely gorgeous quartet we were, excluding James.

"_What_," said my insanely gorgeous wife, "_is this?_"

I blinked and looked around me, then picked up an empty wrapper. "Heaven," James replied brightly. "Want to hear my poem?"

Nela's mouth was opening and closing like a fish. "...uh—"

James sprang up with his piece of paper. It had something edible smeared on it.

"Ro—"

I put my hand on his head and shoved him back onto the sofa. "Sit _down_, James." He pouted at me.

Aurora picked up her skirts and daintily picked her way around the discarded trash to delicately place her tiny body next to James'. "Hello, darling," she said sweetly, pecking him on the cheek. I groaned and lay my head back. "Any kisses for me, Nela?"

Nela flounced over and smacked me upside the head. "No. How am I supposed to clean this room?" I scowled at her and rubbed my head. "_Honestly_, woman! That's why we have servants!"

Nela rolled her eyes. "That's not _fair_, Phillip! You're abusing your royal status!"

"You know," James said loudly, dramatically. "It's no surprise Josh turned out the way he did. Without Nela to guide him, he'd be lost in the dark."

Aurora practically swooned. "Oh, sweetheart, that _is_ poetic! I'd love to hear your poem!"

"I'd love to get out of here," Nela muttered under her breath, after refusing to sit next to me. I even cleared out a space for her. She shuddered at a spill on the armchair.

Alas, James had already forgotten about his wife's kind offer. "You know," he started again, and I wondered if he had _any_ creativity at all, "I think we should start a Deandra gift shop."

"You idiot, we _have_ a Deandra gift shop." I told him. "They sell t-shirts with my face on them."

James shook his head wisely. "No, no, Phil, you're missing the point. I think we should start branching out into other kingdoms as well."

I was dumbfounded by the sheer amount of idiocy he contained in his brain. "Why would _other kingdoms_ sell _I love Deandra t-shirts_?" James opened his mouth to reply but Aurora cut him off. "I think we should write a letter to the children." she said cheerfully. "They'd love that."

Nela shook her head. "We should probably send something to that stupid excuse for a king."

I was confused. "James?" He smacked me.

So did Nela. "No, King Lance!"

I frowned at her. "I guess." I turned to go retrieve some parchment when James gleefully stepped in front of me. I took a step back. "What?" I asked warily. He giggled evilly, and then suddenly threw a bunch of wrappers on my head. I stood, frozen. "I'M NOT A BAD KING!" he said. "SO THERE!"

Unable to say anything, I just turned and got some paper.

"Non-dear King Lance of some stupid kingdom nobody's even heard of," I started dictating as Aurora printed carefully on it with some neon pink ink. "Our perfect daughter Francesca is going to be arriving at your ugly home with Prince Josh. If you do _anything_, he will punch you in the face." Though that would be highly unlikely. Knowing Josh and his dislike of Frankie, he'd probably hand him some flowers and a free coupon.

"Actually," James interrupted. "He will punch your face in the face. In the face. To clarify."

"You're lucky she's coming at all, because she volunteered to marry your good-for-nothing offspring to save our kingdom. You've got yourself one hell of a daughter-in-law." Nela said.

"Sincerely, the Kingdom of Deandra." Aurora finished. "There. Shall we send it now?"

James snatched it from the table. "It needs a few extra artistic touches."

This time he drew a very large and misshapen butt. Then he drew some poop coming out of the butt. Then there was a toilet. He drew a beard on the poop. 'That's you,' said his messy handwriting, along with an arrow to the poop. He held it up for everyone to see. "MY MAGNUM OPUS!" he cried.

"You want a medal?" Nela deadpanned.

James mulled it over. "That would be fantastic, Queen Nela."

Nela threw a paper plate at his face. "There you go, King James."

Aurora carefully sealed an envelope with the letter inside. "I'll send it and come straight back. Alright?"

"Alright," we chorused.

"This room is disgusting," Nela said as soon as Aurora was out of earshot.

"It was _our_ Guys Night," I told her. "We can do whatever we want on Guys Night."

"As long as you clean it up today," she said thoughtfully. "I suppose."

I stared at her. "_Clean_?"

"_Clean_?" James repeated.

"Clean." Nela confirmed. "Yes. Lots and lots of cleaning for you two."

"But what of the children?" I asked importantly. "They need our support right now."

Nela rolled her eyes. "I'm sure that the faraway support provided by Aurora and I will suffice."

There was a long silence.

"But I don't wanna cleeeeeean," James whined.

"You'll have your big pal Phil to help you." she said encouragingly. "You can do it, James!"

Aurora came back.

"I hope they're alright," she said, sitting herself back down next to her husband. "Josh and Frankie, I mean."

"We know who you meant," I said rudely. "They're probably fine."

Aurora stared out the window. Great. Her idiot husband was rubbing off on her. "I don't know."

"Yeah, but I do." I said. "I know all."

Nela smacked me, and James threw some wrappers at my face.

There was a silence.

We were having too many silences.

"I'm bored." James announced.

Aurora looked at him, brightened. "Let's play a game!"

And that one tiny sentence was how we signed our souls to hell.

* * *

**Yep, yep, I'm fulfilling the little summary up in the top box:) You're welcome. Don't you wish you were friends with Nela, Phil, James and Aurora? Review and tell us which one would be your bestie!**


	6. Tears and Screams

**Chapter 5! I know all of you are excited. If any of you are here. If not, I'm talking to myself. Anyway, DISCLAIMER! We don't own Sleeping Beauty or Disney or whatever. But we do own James and Frankie and Josh, and _technically_ Nela. I guess. Okay, now go read the chapter!**

* * *

_You and I go hard at each other_

_Like we're going to war_

_You and I go rough_

_We keep throwing things and slamming the door._

* * *

_FRANKIE_

I gasped.

I was lying in a shaded wood, sunlight filtering in through the maple leaves. I sat up and groaned, holding my hands to my head. I had a horrible headache and I had no idea where I was, or why I was wet.

I gasped again. Wet?

Memories of the Dark River flooded through my brain, making my head hurt even more. My sleek brown hair was curling.

Shakily, I stood up, and then I saw him. Josh. Joshua. Prince Joshua of Deandra, my escort and my...savior?

Shivering with both cold and a dead sort of fear, I walked over to his body. His eyes were closed and he too was wet, as if he was only sleeping. I knelt beside him cautiously and touched his hand. A furious blush was making it's presence known across my entire face. His hand was ice cold.

Trembling fingers made it's way underneath his shirt and to the side of his chest, feeling for a heartbeat. My face was bright red, but the sacrifice of my dignity was practically essential to his survival. If he was dead.

He wasn't.

His eyes sprang open and he shoved me away from him. I landed in a bed of white flowers, and I wanted to _die_. He thought I had been feeling him up!

"Honestly woman, you try to sleep for five freaking minutes and then you're being taken advantage of!" He shook his head in disgust and tugged down his shirt, glaring at me.

Trying to salvage some of my pride, I stood up too, albeit a little weaker. I felt a bit dizzy after nearly drowning. "I wasn't _taking advantage of you_, I thought you were dead and I wanted to see if you still had a heartbeat!"

Josh snorted in disbelief. "You know _how_ many women have said that to me?"

I was shaking with anger and embarrassment. "Well, next time I think you aren't breathing, I'll _bury_ you instead!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Josh glared at me. "I hate you." he said venomously. "I'm trying to figure out why I didn't let you die in the river."

I crossed my arms. "Maybe you actually have a heart. A black one, but still a real heart."

He narrowed his eyes at me and turned to look at the sun. "Where are we, princess?" he asked suddenly. "Do you even know where we are?"

I was getting more and more annoyed with him. "No. I've never _been_ in these woods before."

He sneered at me. "Of course, I'd forgotten. Francesca the Lonely Chicken Princess, remember?"

I felt my fingers curl into a ball. "I remember." I told him poisonously. "Which reminds me, I want my book back."

He smirked. "I don't remember a lot of things, but," he reached into his pocket to pull out my book. Wet, but nonetheless my book. "I remember this." I reached for it, but he pulled it away at the very last moment. "Nonono, Frankie dear," he said in a sing-song voice that was slightly creepy. "You didn't do the dare."

I was outraged. "Of course I did, you saw me!"

"You fell into a river. It hadn't been the required amount of time." Josh said, leering at me. He was laughing, and I was crying. I hated him. I hated him so much.

"Well, now we're lost," I said through a trembling voice, wiping away my tears of frustration on the back of my hand. "Great."

Josh was shredding a tree leaf. "This is your fault." he said finally, turning to face me.

I glared at him. "Is not! If it is anyone's fault, it's yours."

Josh stepped closer to me, and I took a step back. "Don't test me, princess."

* * *

_JOSH_

How could someone as pretty as her be so _aggravating?_

Scare her once, she falls into a river.

Feels you up when you're sleeping.

Blames all her issues on you.

And now she was crying. That was probably the most frustrating part; I hadn't even _done_ anything to her to make her cry, but she was crying. No, she cried _all the time_. How could one person cry _all the time?_

I'd always thought of her as a pretty fool, to be honest.

She was glaring at me, and her eyes were darting back and forth. Like she was trying to be brave, but she just didn't have it in her. That made me laugh out loud, and Frankie bit her lip.

Then she shoved me, and ran. I raised my eyes to the heavens and wondered _why_ life found it so funny to throw us together.

"Princess, where are the horses?" I asked her as nicely as I could, when I found her sitting pretty far away from me. She gave me a poisonous look and shrugged. "I don't know." she said through gritted teeth. "_I_ didn't scare anyone to fall into a river and nearly _die_. I didn't make us lost in this forest!"

"Neither did I!" I retorted. "Maybe if you weren't such a coward, and actually _had_ a sense of humor—"

"Well, maybes are only maybes, Josh!" she shouted. Her eyes were filling up, _again_. "I'm so _sorry_ that I'm not whatever all the other girls you've known are like. And I'm sorry that I'm a _coward _and I have no—"

"And stop feeling bad for yourself!" I yelled back. "Stop having a pity party by yourself!"

Frankie was openly crying. "_Fine!_ Have any other flaws you'd like to point out?"

"Yes, actually!" I shouted. "You _aren't_ the sweetest girl in the entire kingdom! And you aren't even _pretty!_ What kind of a princess are you?"

I couldn't call back the words now.

"Fine," Frankie sobbed. "Fine." She looked ready to fall apart, and there was a tiny, stinging pain in my chest.

There was a silence.

"Frankie," I said, softer now. "Frankie, I'm—"

"No." she said, holding up a hand, but refusing to show me her tear-stained face. "No. I know you meant it. I can't bear to talk to you anymore. I know how you feel, and I understand."

She made to walk away, but she turned around, and her eyes were on fire.

I had never seen anything more beautiful.

"You are a disgusting, worthless excuse for a prince and I feel _bad for you_. You don't know what real kindness is, and you'll _never know_. Even worse, you're a terrible escort, and I HATE YOU!"

My entire being was consumed with an anger I had never felt. "GET OUT OF THIS FOREST!" I roared. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Tears streaming down her face, she turned and ran. Away from me.

Was that supposed to make me happy?

It didn't.

* * *

**Well, hello again! Depressing chapter, huh? Don't worry, Frankie and Josh will be locking lips soon enough:D**


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